Monthly Archives: November 2014

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I recently saw that one of the cable channels is going to show “Yes Virginia…” and, having heard the story several times growing up, I decided to do some research on the matter.

The original letter was written by Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897. When her father

Virginia 1895

found himself unable to answer her question about the existence of Santa Claus, he told her to write the Sun (a prominent New York paper), because if they said there was a Santa Claus there really must be one. An editor for the Sun, Francis Church, who had been a war correspondent during the Civil War saw this as an opportunity to restore the faith and hope that the conflict had stripped from society. Despite the unobtrusive seventh place position on the editorial page the letter and response went on to be the reprinted editorial in any English speaking newspaper.

Virginia was born July 20,1889 in Manhattan. After a brief marriage to Edward Douglas, he deserted her just before the birth of their daughter Laura, she went on to obtain several degrees from prominent universities and become an educator in the New York school system and retired in 1959. Throughout her life she received a constant flow of mail about her letter and quoted the editorial in all responses. On Christmas Eve 1969 Virginia finally got to meet Santa Claus.

After Virginia’s death in 1971 her friends wrote a children’s book “Yes Virginia”, a brief history of the editorial and the main characters, and brought it to Warner Brothers who made it into an Emmy award winning TV show. In 1998 one of Virginia’s grand daughters had the original letter authenticated and appraised at $20,000-$30,000 on Antiques Roadshow. Continue reading →

As the holidays draw nearer and we make our plans to be with family and friends, let’s not forget the homeless vets. Our brothers and sisters who have nowhere and no one to share these happy times with.

A recent HUD poll showed that there are 49,933 homeless veterans in America today (32,048 living in shelters, 17,885 on the streets), making up about 33% of the total homeless population. There are approximately 1253 in Massachusetts. The figures showed a decrease in the last few years, but unfortunately there are always newcomers to the ranks. It’s disheartening to see any person homeless but it’s particularly painful when he or she proudly displays the service they have given that we all might live the American dream.Continue reading →

Welcome to Post 313

COME VISIT US

Our purpose here is to serve Veterans and the Community.

We are constantly seeking new members to help in this effort. If you are an eligible veteran or know of an eligible veteran and would like to join, please stop by the post at 90 Groton Road (Route 40) North Chelmsford or give us a call- 978-251-4933.

We hope you will visit our site often and use it as a source for following both Legion and Community activities. Browse through the menu pages to view upcoming events and services we offer.

Please leave a comment below on your likes or dislikes of any postings or if you an event you would like considered for inclusion below.